- Sunday, March 09, 2025
A video footage of Shami consuming energy drink during the semi-final match in Dubai went viral and a cleric Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi said he has committed a sin
By: India Weekly
DAYS after cricketer Mohammed Shami was criticised for not observing roza (fast) in the month of Ramzan during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final match against Australia, veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar voiced his support for the bowler asking him to pay no attention to “reactionary bigoted idiots”.
Shami, who is part of the Indian squad for the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy tour, was spotted consuming an energy drink as the match was underway in Dubai on Tuesday.
After the visual of the lead pacer went viral on social media, the national president of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, said Shami had committed a sin by not fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan.
Akhtar, known for openly voicing his opinions, advised the cricketer to ignore all the negativity and praised his performance in the game.
“Shami saheb, don’t give a damn to those reactionary bigoted idiots who have any problem with your drinking water in a burning afternoon at a cricket field in Dubai.
“It is none of their business. You are one of the great Indian team that is making us all proud My best wishes to you and our whole team (sic)” he wrote in an X post on Friday.
Noted historian S Irfan Habib also came out in support of Shami. “Why should anyone hound Shami for not fasting? A Muslim fasts for himself/herself and is also answerable for not fasting. Shami must’ve felt he can perform better without fasting so he did. Why create an avoidable fuss?” he wrote in X.
Journalist Saba Naqvi questioned the credentials of the cleric in her post on X: “Who on earth is this guy to say what is a crime or not. Let us be clear that many clerics also seek five minutes fame and want to be relevant when they are not. But good for TV shows intended to show Indian Muslims as fundamentalist cretins. All power to Shami!”
Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahli of All India Muslim Personal Law Board said that since Shami is playing he has an option not to observe Roza.
He told ANI, “It is compulsory for all Muslims to observe Roza, especially in the month of Ramzan. However, Allah has clearly mentioned in the Quran that if a person is on a journey or not well, they have the option not to observe Roza. In the case of Mohammed Shami, he is on a tour, so he has the option not to observe Roza. Nobody has a right to raise a finger on him.”
